Monday, December 10, 2012

Coco Dresser Redux

I've been really happy with how it turned out and my husband even said that it's one of his favorite pieces that I've done....I think he just looked at the original finish for too long :) Anyway, I needed to fill a hole in my booth at SuzAnna's this past week and though I have finished pieces in the garage, they were just all too big for the space. Luckily I'd found a petite dresser that was structurally sound and all I had to do was paint...

Up front, I have to apologize for the pictures of this dresser as I was getting ready to load it up in the truck to bring to the shop before I remembered to snap a few. It was a cloud-covered morning with very little light! At first, I debated a bit about the color to paint this dresser. I knew I wanted to highlight the details in an ivory or white, but I was wanting a different color for my booth. I find myself painting everything some shade of blue or green! Since the original Coco (Annie Sloan Chalk Paint) dresser was a hit, I thought I'd paint one to go in the shop.

After painting two coats of the Coco, I hand-painted the details with an ivory acrylic paint and a small painter's brush. Bottles of acrylic (craft) paint work great in a pinch! I also mixed up some glaze with the same paint, applied with a regular paint brush, and wiped off the excess with a damp towel to leave a nice washed look over the Coco. You can read my tips and products for glazing (here).

The trick to glazing or working with tinted wax is to work in sections, leaving the product in the details and crevices of a piece as you wipe it back. After the glaze/white-wash was dry, I applied Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Wax (my favorite wax) to seal it.

Lastly, I spray-painted the hardware in ivory...so much better than the original dingy brass. I really love the Coco color and it reminds me of some kind of chocolate dessert with the white-wash on it. I could really see this dresser in a pale pink/chocolate brown girl's room!

Beautiful dresser Kristen! I just started my own design blog up here in New Hampshire. I hope to refinish a side table following your techniques and I will reference your biog as inspiration. Thanks for your creativity!

Both pieces are exceptional. That coco color is perfect to go with pretty much anything, sure looks good in your room. very pretty. How you made the details shine was perfect. You must have a very steady hand to be able to paint those lines on dresser for your booth. Didn't you want to keep that dresser also? I do agree that it would be perfect in a pink/choc. brown girls room. Happy Week

Found you from POWW and I just LOVE what you did. Coco is one of my favorite ASCP chalkpaint colors and you absolutely chose the right color for this piece- the white highlighted details and knobs really make this pop! I know what you mean about using a lot of blues/greens because I do the same thing. Kudos! -Crystal from Euphemeral Designswww.euphemeral.blogspot.com

Very nice work! Love that Coco. It is one of my favorite neutrals. I have been pairing it (a lot lately!) with Graphite for a favorite two-tone. (just now working on a ladies dressing table) Try that combo sometime!

Somehow I missed this post, but I saw this petite dresser at SuzAnna's a few weeks ago. Oh, how I love coco. It really does look like a cup of cocoa in person. Mixed with the white and/or cream and I love it even more. (I guess it is the marshmallow on the cocoa!)

If it were in the budget, I would have snatched it up. The size was perfect for a small space. Grrrrr!